| Photos (see all 27 | slideshow) | Videos (see all 3) |
| Michael Keaton | ... | Jonathan Rivers | |
| Chandra West | ... | Anna Rivers | |
| Deborah Kara Unger | ... | Sarah Tate | |
| Ian McNeice | ... | Raymond Price | |
| Sarah Strange | ... | Jane | |
| Nicholas Elia | ... | Mike Rivers | |
| Mike Dopud | ... | Detective Smits | |
| Marsha Regis | ... | Police Woman | |
| Brad Sihvon | ... | Minister | |
| Mitchell Kosterman | ... | Work Man | |
| L. Harvey Gold | ... | Business Man | |
| Amber Rothwell | ... | Susie Tomlinson | |
| Suzanne Ristic | ... | Mary Freeman | |
| Keegan Connor Tracy | ... | Mirabelle Keegan | |
| Miranda Frigon | ... | Carol Black - Car Crash Woman | |
| Aaron Douglas | ... | Frank Black - Young Father | |
| Anthony Harrison | ... | Doctor | |
| Bruce Dawson | ... | Mark | |
| Benita Ha | ... | TV Reporter | |
| Anastasia Corbett | ... | EVP - Young Girl | |
| Micki Maunsell | ... | Edith Tomlinson (as Miki Maunsell) | |
| Ross Birchall | ... | EVP - Young Boy | |
| Peter Bryant | ... | EVP - Man | |
| Bill Tarling | ... | Presence #1 | |
| Chuck Walkinshaw | ... | Presence #2 | |
| Colin Chapin | ... | Presence #3 | |
| April Telek | ... | John's Secretary | |
| Michale Ascher | ... | Woman |
Directed by | |||
| Geoffrey Sax | |||
Writing credits(in alphabetical order) | ||
| Niall Johnson | written by | |
Original Music by | |||
| Claude Foisy | |||
Cinematography by | |||
| Chris Seager | |||
Film Editing by | |||
| Nick Arthurs | |||
Casting by | |||
| Maureen Webb | |||
Production Design by | |||
| Michael S. Bolton | |||
Art Direction by | |||
| Greg Venturi | |||
Set Decoration by | |||
| Penny A. Chalmers | |||
Costume Design by | |||
| Karen L. Matthews | |||
Makeup Department | |||
| Howard Lau | .... | fabricator | |
| Keith Lau | .... | fabricator | |
| Mary L. Mastro | .... | hair stylist: Michael Keaton (as Mary Mastro) | |
| Gene McCormick | .... | makeup artist | |
| Julio Pallares | .... | makeup assistant: special effects | |
| Robert Ryan | .... | makeup artist: Michael Keaton | |
| Adina Shore | .... | key hair stylist | |
| Deborah Slonowski | .... | first assistant makeup artist | |
| Margaret Solomon | .... | key makeup artist | |
| Bill Terezakis | .... | special makeup effects coordinator | |
| Maureen Terezakis | .... | special effects makeup coordinator | |
| Barbara J. Wozniak | .... | assistant hair stylist (as Barb Wozniak) | |
| Vince Yoshida | .... | makeup assistant: special effects (as Vincent Akira Yoshida) | |
| Emanuela Daus | .... | assistant makeup artist (uncredited) | |
Second Unit Director or Assistant Director | |||
| Karin Behrenz | .... | third assistant director | |
| Glenn Bottomley | .... | second assistant director | |
| Graham Cairns | .... | trainee assistant director | |
| Eunice Choi | .... | assistant director | |
| Richard Coleman | .... | first assistant director | |
Art Department | |||
| David Allcock | .... | storyboard artist | |
| Tony Beck | .... | set dresser | |
| Doris Deutschmann | .... | graphic designer | |
| Roy Obermann | .... | lead carpenter | |
| Kimberley Regent | .... | property master | |
| Ling Yang | .... | storyboard artist | |
| Don Yanko | .... | scenic carpenter | |
Sound Department | |||
| Gianluca Buttari | .... | foley editor | |
| Gianluca Buttari | .... | foley recordist | |
| Jose R. Castellon | .... | adr recordist | |
| Mike Grimes | .... | sound effects editor | |
| Tirso Guinon | .... | sound effects editor | |
| Stewart Henderson | .... | dialogue editor | |
| Hugh Johnson | .... | sound designer | |
| Hugh Johnson | .... | sound re-recording mixer | |
| Deni King | .... | adr supervisor | |
| Patrick Knup | .... | voice recordist: French version | |
| Melissa Lake | .... | foley artist | |
| Ben Meechan | .... | sound effects editor | |
| Mark Noda | .... | boom operator | |
| Bernard O'Reilly | .... | sound designer | |
| Bernard O'Reilly | .... | supervising sound editor | |
| Adam Sharpe | .... | adr mixer | |
| William Skinner | .... | sound mixer | |
| Jack Stew | .... | foley artist | |
| Andrew Stirk | .... | sound re-recording mixer | |
| David Turner | .... | sound technical coordinator | |
| Michele Woods | .... | dialogue editor | |
| Hilary Wyatt | .... | supervising dialogue editor | |
| Miha Jaramaz | .... | sound editor (uncredited) | |
| Mark Kenna | .... | consultant: Dolby film sound (uncredited) | |
Special Effects by | |||
| James Kozier | .... | special effects supervisor | |
| Tim Storvick | .... | special effects coordinator | |
Visual Effects by | |||
| Sean Afshar | .... | co-visual effects sequence coordinator | |
| Simon Allmark | .... | visual effects editor | |
| George Barbour | .... | digital artist | |
| Louis Bravo | .... | visual effects editor | |
| Gavain Browne | .... | compositor | |
| Sarah Cloutier | .... | visual effects coordinator | |
| Tom Collier | .... | digital compositor | |
| Graham Cristie | .... | digital effects supervisor | |
| Darren Frankel | .... | head of post production: Stargate Digital | |
| Simon Giles | .... | visual effects supervisor | |
| Pawel Grochola | .... | digital artist | |
| Martin Halle | .... | visual effects: pre-vis | |
| Kyle J. Healey | .... | visual effects | |
| Christian Jelen | .... | lead cgi artist | |
| Jared Jones | .... | previs artist | |
| Sharon Lark | .... | visual effects producer | |
| David Margolis | .... | digital compositor | |
| Jennifer McEachern | .... | on-set supervisor | |
| Pablo Renedo | .... | digital compositor | |
| Brendan Taylor | .... | visual effects coordinator | |
| Paul Vorsman | .... | title sequence designer | |
| Kenneth Bailey | .... | visual effects: Stargate Digital (uncredited) | |
| Chad Schott | .... | visual effects (uncredited) | |
Stunts | |||
| Ed Anders | .... | stunt driver | |
| Garvin Cross | .... | lead stunt double | |
| Randy Lee | .... | stunt coordinator | |
Camera and Electrical Department | |||
| Sandes Ashe | .... | first assistant camera: "b" camera | |
| Scott Cozens | .... | second assistant camera | |
| Ken Decker | .... | generator operator | |
| John Dekker | .... | gaffer | |
| Glen A. Dickson | .... | camera operator: "b" camera | |
| Chris Helcermanas-Benge | .... | still photographer | |
| Simon Jori | .... | first assistant camera: "a" camera | |
| Richard M. Lobb | .... | grip | |
| Wayne McAuley | .... | grip | |
| Marty McInally | .... | Steadicam operator | |
| Marty McInally | .... | camera operator: "a" camera | |
| Paul T. Murakami | .... | grip | |
| Rod Newby | .... | rigging gaffer | |
| Jesse Olver | .... | grip | |
| Jos Oman | .... | second assistant camera: "b" camera | |
| Darren Plester | .... | grip | |
| Greg Rideout | .... | lamp operator | |
| Derek Saari | .... | lamp operator | |
| Jesse Sannerud | .... | camera trainee | |
| Igor Shtenz | .... | grip | |
| Richard Sinclair | .... | second assistant camera: "a" camera | |
| Julie Tanas | .... | lamp operator | |
| Michael Taschereau | .... | key grip | |
| Max Torroba | .... | playback operator | |
Casting Department | |||
| Abigail Barbier | .... | adr voice casting | |
| Louis Elman | .... | adr voice casting | |
| James Forsyth | .... | extras casting | |
Costume and Wardrobe Department | |||
| Linda Leduc | .... | assistant costume designer | |
| Glenna Owen | .... | set costumer | |
Editorial Department | |||
| Jill Allanson | .... | telecine assistant | |
| Chris Andrews | .... | negative cutter | |
| Rhonda Blewett | .... | telecine assistant | |
| Sarah Carefoot | .... | dailies colorist | |
| Simon Giblin | .... | digital on-line editor | |
| Lalit Goyal | .... | first assistant editor | |
| Nicola Instone | .... | post-production coordinator | |
| Gary Lam | .... | assistant editor | |
| Veronica Marcano | .... | negative cutter | |
| Jet Omoshebi | .... | digital intermediate colorist | |
| Shane Warden | .... | on-line editor | |
Music Department | |||
| Scott Cochran | .... | score mixer | |
| Lee Kerr | .... | music editor | |
| Brian Leff | .... | music coordinator | |
| Randy Gerston | .... | music supervisor (uncredited) | |
Transportation Department | |||
| James Wayne Spencer | .... | driver: van | |
| Jason Wayne Spencer | .... | driver: van | |
Other crew | |||
| Natalie Allan | .... | script coordinator | |
| Lawren Bancroft-Wilson | .... | office production assistant | |
| Michael Barnes | .... | financial legal services | |
| Dale Bhagwagar | .... | publicist | |
| Vitomir Bogdanovic | .... | production assistant | |
| Leon Thomas Braun | .... | production assistant | |
| Trevor Brokop | .... | production assistant | |
| Raimey Casiro | .... | key production assistant | |
| Hsun-Wei David Chang | .... | assistant: Mr. Shore (as David Chang) | |
| Jessica Clothier | .... | script supervisor | |
| Chris Doss | .... | executive in charge of finance | |
| Byron Drinkle | .... | playback coordinator | |
| Shalia Edl | .... | first assistant production coordinator | |
| Karyn Edwards | .... | legal counsel | |
| Brad Erickson | .... | key production assistant | |
| Alexander Glua | .... | production assistant | |
| Suraj Gohill | .... | production lender | |
| Jonathan Heine | .... | production financing | |
| Joel Hurley | .... | location scout | |
| Greg Jackson | .... | location manager | |
| Anne Jacobsen | .... | production accountant | |
| Krista Johnston | .... | clearance | |
| Micah Kelpin | .... | assistant: Mr. Williamson | |
| Steve Lee | .... | digital online assistant | |
| Shane Lennox | .... | assistant location manager | |
| Alan Martin | .... | production executive | |
| Jarod McCullough | .... | security officer | |
| Cameron Morris | .... | production assistant | |
| Samantha Morris | .... | assistant: Mr. Williamson | |
| Elizabeth Mueller | .... | post-production accountant | |
| Alexander Nicolas | .... | marketing | |
| Michele O'Flanagan | .... | production coordinator | |
| Mary Quinn | .... | assistant: Mr. Hegyes | |
| Iain Read | .... | digital online assistant | |
| Karina Sax | .... | assistant to director | |
| Tracy D. Smith | .... | assistant to producers | |
| Jason Wayne Spencer | .... | production assistant | |
| David Tamkin | .... | trainee assistant location manager | |
| Stephen Tibbetts | .... | stand-in | |
| Dan Lee West | .... | assistant to producers | |
| Annie Wilkinson | .... | set tutor | |
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| City of Shoulders and Noses | White Noise 2: The Light | The Living and the Dead | The Omen | Premonition |
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Jonathan Rivers (Michael Keaton) is a successful architect. His wife, Anna (Chandra West) is an even more successful novelist. When Anna goes missing one night, they fear she is dead. Suddenly, an odd man named Raymond Price (Ian McNeice) shows up and tells Jonathan that his wife has been trying to contact him from "the other side", via Electronic Voice Phenomena (EVPs). Rivers also gradually gets wrapped up in EVPs, which lead him to some unusual situations and the heart of a mystery.
I had a very divided reaction to White Noise. Some aspects were excellent, but in many ways, the film had potential that was never actualized. There are also some flaws that kept drawing me out of the film's universe. Overall I felt the film worked, but probably not as writer Niall Johnson and director Geoffrey Sax intended.
Let's talk about what the film did right first. The major assets, as mentioned in the title of my review, were the production/set design, cinematography and overall atmosphere. The latter largely hinges on the first two. The production/set design and cinematography were nearly perfect. Everything was focused on the idea of white noise, especially the most well known visual depiction of white noise--television "static" or "snow". The credits introduced a motif of jarring intrusions of white noise, which occasionally recurred throughout the film (although perhaps not enough). There were clever instantiations of a visual "white noise" theme in the sets, such as the outside waterfall on the lower level of Jonathan's apartment building, and the wall of glass blocks inside his apartment. The color scheme was white, silver and blue, washed out so that the film had an almost black and white feel. There were also more abstract references to white noise, such as the running water motif (water dynamics are mathematically chaotic, as is white noise, which is also thought of as being literally random), and the arcing electricity. All of this combined to provide a wonderful, gloomy atmosphere, and in another film, would easily compensate for any minor flaws to bring the film up to a 10.
However, there are a number of problems with White Noise. Keaton's performance was the major sticking point for me. He seems aloof and brooding throughout the entire film. While that may have been perfect for Batman, it doesn't work for me here. Both McNeice and Deborah Kara Unger (as Sarah Tate) were fine, but their roles were minor enough to not be able to carry the film. I usually like Keaton a lot, and I can't say that I dislike him here, but his performance is very odd and off-putting.
Another problem was the pacing. For a long time, White Noise may as well have been a realist drama. While that's fine for other films, it also doesn't tend to work in a horror/thriller. The only directors I've seen really able to pull that combination off effectively are Alfred Hitchcock and M. Night Shyamalan. It takes so long to get to the horror/thriller part of the story that many people likely either lose interest by that point, or they're interested because they'd rather see a realist drama, and the more supernatural ending will be unsatisfying for them. The pacing also doesn't fit with the white noise/chaos motif. This is a film that should have been edited like a Michael Bay vehicle.
Finally, I had a number of problems with the story. One, there are quite a few superfluous elements (such as Jonathan's son). Two, although I'm not someone who usually complains about genre combinations, there was an attempt to make White Noise both a "benevolent spirit" story, ala Ghost (1990) and a Ring (2002)-like otherworldly threat. The two just didn't meld. Three, the thriller aspect, which enters primarily at the climax of the film, seems too tacked on to engender an appropriate emotional reaction from the audience. And four, the supernatural aspects and especially the "twist revelation" of the ending are very rushed and unpleasantly ambiguous, possibly in an attempt to hide the fact that the plot in these respects wasn't very well thought out. There is a tremendous amount of potential in the script, and it is entertaining enough to marginally recommend, but this seems more like an early draft that was rushed to completion, or possibly a film that suffered a lot of studio meddling.
The bottom line is that while there are enough positive elements to make White Noise worth a watch to serious genre fans and students of film-making, do not expect the story to grab you by the short and curlies, and do not expect much of a resolution. Enjoy the film primarily for its visuals. I'm generously rating the film a 7 out of 10.